Providing Page Navigation in Multirole-Enabled Network Application

Abstract

The present invention discloses an apparatus, method and computer program for providing page navigation in a multirole-enabled network application. The apparatus comprises: a virtual role creator adapted to create a virtual role for each user in the multirole-enabled network application based upon an atomic role set configured for the user; an access pattern generator adapted to generate a virtual-role-based access pattern by recording page access requests of the user and by performing pattern mining for the recorded page access requests according to the virtual role of the user; and a page navigation provider adapted to provide page navigation by utilizing the access pattern corresponding to the virtual role of the user when the user accesses the multirole-enabled network application. With the technical solution of the invention, pattern mining can be performed for access data of one or more users according to virtual role, so the user can be provided with optimized personalized page navigation.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]The present invention relates to the field of computer network applications and in particular to an apparatus and a method for providing page navigation in a multirole-enabled network application, e.g., Software as a Service (SaaS) application.[0002]User experience of a website is of great importance to Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) who have been seeking a method to improve user experience. Efficient page navigation is one of important factors in improving user experience and enhancing user satisfaction.[0003]In a traditional network application, a software provider typically investigates the demand of a specific customer to know a service flow of the customer and therefore can design well a page flow based upon predefined knowledge to accommodate user experience.[0004]In contrast to this, SaaS is a pattern in which software is provided over the Internet so that a customer will not purchase any software but instead lease Web-based software from the ISV. Since a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016]Advantageously, in the technical solution of the invention as compared with the existing user-based technical solution, since pattern mining is performed for access data of one or more users according to the virtual role and the virtual role typically corresponds to a group of users, the access data of the users can be accumulated rapidly for pattern mining, and since the number of virtual roles is much smaller than the number of users, resources required for calculation and storage of access patterns can be conserved. Moreover, when the role of a user is changed, accurate personalized page navigation can be provided for the user by utilizing an access pattern, if any, corresponding to the new role of the user. Also, for a new user, accurate personalized page navigation can be provided for the user by utilizing an access pattern, if any, corresponding to the role of the new user.

Problems solved by technology

Thus, a unified predefined page flow will burden some users.

As can be apparent, how to recognize an access behavior pattern of a user and to provide hereby a more smooth page flow becomes a crucial issue for the ISV.

However, pattern mining in the existing technical solution is performed separately for respective users, and it may take a long period of time to accumulate access data of the respective users in order to acquire their access patterns; and for a new user, his or her access pattern is unavailable, and consequently no personalized page navigation can be provided.

Moreover, a large number of resources are required to calculate and store the access patterns of the respective users.

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